May Meeting Show & Tell, Part I

Crepe weave samples from the April workshop.
Rose utilised buttons in these tatted bookmarks.
Joan, Chris and Betsy debate why black and white merino didn’t full at the same rate in Chris’s scarf.
What a tangled web we weave!
Joan’s meticulous weaving and superb colour sense come together. Runner or towel – you choose.
June wove off her crepe sample warp with multicoloured rayon.

by Rose Pelvin

May Meeting: Turning Drafts

Chris explained the meaning of turned drafts and brought along a loom threaded with a sample of turned overshot.
Turned Ms & Os was a perfect choice for Chris’s scarf with the coloured yarn running the length of the scarf. She is a fan of one-shuttle weaves.
Rose’s scarf is also Ms and Os but different in texture and colour.
Turned overshot with a silk pattern yarn gives the scarf a look and feel of luxury. It was woven by Chris.

by Rose Pelvin

Denim Rag Rugs "Jeanetically Modified I, II and III", by Chris Beech

The denim rugs from my last rag rug session are now 20 years old and decidedly shabby, so I recently attacked the most boring part of my stash - a box full of jean legs [mostly the backs of legs as the fronts were full of patches and too tough to cut]. The result is these three rugs, woven without any fuss joining strips, but still very serviceable.

I used 12/6 cotton rug warp at 4 epi for the 2 tabby rugs, and 8 epi for the 4 end block rug, with denim strips cut approximately 2 - 3 cm wide. The cotton warp was OK, but I definitely prefer a seaming twine or linen warp, which have much less give in them, allowing very positive beating. The advantage of the cotton is that it comes ready dyed in a range of colours.

The tabby rugs are about 1.5 x 0.8 m, and used 190 gm of warp[for 2], and about 2.25 kg of rags each.

by Chris Beech

Record Sheet, by Noelene Gratton

Each project has a slight variation in the recording. The basics are the same and additional information to easily repeat the project is added, eg: threading and weaving plan for stripes etc. Also it depends how much can be fitted onto the page. As technology and my ability to use it has advanced the record sheet has evolved from simple hand scribbled notes to the current sheet. The basic information has not changed. The draw downs are taken from Pikes Peak Weavers Weave Design downloadable software.




by Noelene Gratton

Plaid Scarf, by Noelene Gratton

This scarf was made as a sample to check the suitability of the yarn for a larger project. It wove nicely but on washing all the joins shrank back and have had to be darned in with extra yarn. The yarn was chosen as it was the closest match for the correct colours for a tartan rug, and I wanted to avoid the dye pot.

I was a Wilson and the rug is to be a gift for my nephew, my brother's son. Wilsons are from clan Gunn with some being from Innes (I think) .

The following is taken from the web site tartanregister.gov.uk:

"Generally now called simply 'Wilson' by modern weavers. Named after Janet Wilson, wife of the Bannockburn weaver, William Wilson who manufactured tartans from 1765. It is suggested in the extensive archives of the company that the tartan was prepared for the wedding in 1780 between the William Wilson, the son of the founder, and Janet Paterson. The sett was later introduced as the Wilson family tartan. Variations show blue instead of purple in the broad band and blue instead of azure (light blue) in the narrow stripes."

Pinwheel Twill Scarf, by Noelene Gratton

When my weaving daughter saw the fabric for the vest, she cheekily commented about making good use of all 8 shafts. “Of course, it was threaded 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8”. Hence an 8 shaft project had to follow. I liked the look of this scarf from an early issue of Weavezine, an online weaving magazine. Diving into the stash I pulled out two yarns of slightly different weights but close enough to be ok, so I thought. Too bad, it’ll do. They behaved quite differently with the cream (the finer yarn) shrinking more in the fulling, resulting in a seersucker effect. Not what I was wanting but interesting all the same.

Future plans include repeating this pattern in a larger piece.

by Noelene Gratton

New Loom, First Project, by Noelene Gratton

In July 2008 I bought an 8 shaft Mecchia Loom, from Invercargill. After getting it home, assembling it and sorting out a few hiccups and many duh!! moments, with the generous help of Margaret (Mecchia, by email), I was ready for action.

I wanted to start by doing something quick to check if everything was working as it should. As I am not a person who samples, a plain weave chunky project was called for. A sleeveless vest, quick and easy. To add interest, three colours were used - green, navy and violet, all very pale, alternating in both the warp and weft so as not to get a striped effect. In the process, I learned a little about batch dying, something I have never done before, preferring a random effect so as to hide any unevenness of colour.

The resulting fabric was pleasing and the loom worked well with no further adjustments necessary.

After almost 2 years the jacket is finally finished. Good timing for the year of the garment.

by Noelene Gratton

The Latest from Peg Moorhouse

A visit to Peg's at the end of April shows a recent swing back towards her signature damask weaving. This in spite of an ongoing maintenance issue with a complex draw loom with no instructions and no loom mechanic to call on... and a NZ-wide dwindling supply of the precious linen yarn she uses. Well done Peg! Keep up the good work.

Only at Peg's . . .or at Spotlight!

by Rose Pelvin